Homegrown coaches are critical for the development and growth of Bangladeshi cricket. Whatever the level-School, Coaching Clinics, Clubs, Franchises, Division, Age Group, A Team, National Team, they play and will play a crucial role in our success. Homegrown coaches have a few plus points over their foreign counterparts- more passion, dedication in developing the game in the country, ability to relate better with players (Since they know the culture, background), they will probably serve a longer period, they will probably be in a better position to scout, spot young talent from around the country. Not saying foreign coaches wont do all this, but locals are more likely to. We have and had some extremely dedicated and passionate foreign coaches

From the time we got our test status our administrators have been talking about grass root level development. We ve hired plenty of foreign coaching talent in this regard, and the positive impact they have had is clear. But there has been no long term plan and strategic thinking. Appointments, succession planning etc have all have been done in an informal ad hoc basis. Sometimes we go through long periods without any specialized coaches.

However now we have plenty of ex cricketers who have reasonable international experience, and have played under world class coaches. Time for us to tap into their experience and knowledge to keep developing our cricket.

Again i would like to point to Sri Lanka as country we can learn from. Sri Lanka is blessed with hundreds of quality home grown coaches working at different levels from school to NT. Graham Ford might be calling the shots with their NT, but the batting, bowling and fielding coaches are all Sri Lankan. Their HP academy, bowling academy, age group teams are all run by very experienced homegrown coaches. Not saying all our coaches should be local. I am thrilled to have Richard McIness as our HP, he has contributed so much for our cricket, and has so much passion in developing BD cricket. But imagine if RM had the support of the best home grown coaches, ex NT players.

Fortunately we have plenty of emerging coaches, as well as experienced ones. Some of them are even working abroad. Time for BCB to make best use of their experience and knowledge. Thought of starting this thread to discuss about our homegrown coaches, ex NT players, their achievements and contributions. If you happen to know about any of them, do share in the following format:

Name:
Specialization:
Qualification:
Current Role:
Past Roles:
Major Achievements:
Positives:
Negatives:
Possible Future Role You Would Like To See Them In, Why:

Very good discussion and question and certainly something that we should be working towards.

My only advice would be that the best students don't always make the best teachers. It does not mean that a very good student, can't be a good teacher, but history will show across many fields of endeavour including sport, that this is not the case.

Our reliance on someone having to have been an "ex-National" player is limiting our ability to find the best coaches.

Name: Aminul IslamSpecialization: BattingQualification: Level 3, AustraliaCurrent Role: Development Office, ACCPast Roles: Coaching at Club LevelMajor Achievements: Winning Premier League in 2007 with Abahani at first attemptPositives: International exposure, as coach, player. As a player he was technically correct, used to work very hard. Could pass on this work ethic to his charges. In an interview he said "As per sports science, a person should have ten thousand hours of practice from beginning to maturity to be a good cricketer." This is the change he will bringNegatives: Might not be willing to take up a small rolePossible Future Role You Would Like To See Them In, Why: Want to see him as a head coach of a franchise at BPL. Will test his ability as a coach and man manager. Would like to see him coach as at A Team level, then batting coach of NT, and hopefully one day if all goes well head coach of Bangladesh. It is possible! I met him once in Colombo where he had come for training program. Spoke to him for 5 minutes, he mentioned it was his dream to be the head coach of BD one day. And he was working every day to get to that. Asked for everyone's prayers.

Originally Posted by observer
Very good discussion and question and certainly something that we should be working towards.

My only advice would be that the best students don't always make the best teachers. It does not mean that a very good student, can't be a good teacher, but history will show across many fields of endeavour including sport, that this is not the case.

Our reliance on someone having to have been an "ex-National" player is limiting our ability to find the best coaches.

Regards

Agree with you 100%. But chances are those who worked under you, Dav Whatmore, Jamie Siddons, Alistair De Winter would probably know a lot more and be more familiar with the requirements of modern day international cricket. But like you see there maybe hidden gems. For instance: Wahidul Gani and Md Salahuddin are two veteran coaches who have been credited for the development of many cricketers.

Among local coaches only Aminul, Sarwar Imran, Wahidul Goni, Salahuddin are well respected. However, many ex-cricketers are considering 'coaching' as their profession. AFAIK, Nannu, Shujon, Pilot have undertaken level 2 coaching training.

Originally Posted by jeesh
Khaled Mahmud, Khaled Mashud could both become very good coaches.

Khaled Mashud Pilot can become a good coach. He has that mentality. He runs his own academy in Rajshahi. However, i doubt on Khaled Mahmud. He seems bit moody and wants to control everything which is not a good sign. No doubt, Shujon is an intelligent and knowledgeable person but when it comes to coaching, he gets too emotional and takes things personally.

The problem lies in what you define as "a good coach". Richard in a previous post, rightly said the first sign of madness is doing the same things and expecting different results.

One only has to look at the technique issues surrounding the batting and the bowling at National level to realise that those coaching beneath this level locally, are unable to develop players fully and correctly.

Australia has 22 million people, South Africa 48 million, England 51 million yet produce world class and title winning players under the current systems. Bangladesh has a population of 161 million and does not.

That is not a criticism, it is a starting point to realising where the issues might be with local coaching.

I will be honest with you. Level 1 coaching badge is a waste of time and Level 2 is not at all difficult to pass. It is quite rare for people to fail Level 2 unless they are utterly incompetent.

This brings me back to my point of what do you define as a good coach? How is the criteria to be judged?

The problem for Bangladeshi coaches is that they may have other issues to contend with such as lack of funding, logistics, favouritism as well as simply wishing to retain control over what they do. No one likes to see overseas coaches come in and take all the best jobs. This can lead to jealousy, anger as well as a feeling of rejection. But the truth is that the history of Bangladesh Cricket at the levels beneath national/academy are the result of local coaching. It means, as we all know, that national coaches have to also try and bring players up to the right standard WHILST they are in the national team - something that just does not really happen in the other 8 Test playing countries.

I feel coach education is a massive issue in Bangladesh right now, and that a national plan should be set in place, as we have in England with Sky Sports, whereby coaches are encouraged to come forward and be educated properly and to a national standard that is measured and managed. It is only by having cricket educated players being fed into the national teams that Bangladesh will be able to get off the bottom rung of the ladder at Test level.

I think this is partially the reason 50 overs cricket and T20 is so popular. You can have less skills relative to Test Cricket and be more competitive. It's why we see associates causing upsets, but we don't witness massive upsets at test level between teams. Those rankings accurately reflect the quality of each side.

The answer then?

Make a national consensus for coaching and agree a minimum standard of coach for each level. Educate, educate and educate the coaches to be able to deliver a cohesive action plan that finds, identifies, creates and develops talented players.

There will always be the odd local coach who is very good. But given the size of the population and the fact that cricket in the national sport, with full Governmental support, Bangladesh should be awash with talent - both on the playing field and in the nets, practice facilities and clubs - just as it is in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

__________________
No Cheating. No Corruption. No Excuses.
Players/Coaches have a duty to report and help clean up our wonderful game of cricket. We are the guardians of the game for the fans.

Originally Posted by observer
Very good discussion and question and certainly something that we should be working towards.

My only advice would be that the best students don't always make the best teachers. It does not mean that a very good student, can't be a good teacher, but history will show across many fields of endeavour including sport, that this is not the case.

Our reliance on someone having to have been an "ex-National" player is limiting our ability to find the best coaches.

Regards

I agree with you completely on that point...

But I think we need to consider that we are talking about a country, who are exposed to real cricket for about a decade or so. Im sure you will agree that, A coach needs to have a proper understanding of the game, otherwise however good qualities a guy may have to become a brilliant coach, will all be wasted in wrong direction. A proper understanding of the game is very rare outside the ex international players pool of BD. our domestic circuit still fails to teach the right skill & attitude required for the game.

It's not that, even all the ex int players have a proper understanding of the game and will also possess the other equally important qualities to be an effective coach. But I think it will be easy to get a larger number amongst them. But yes, if we can keep all the other doors cautiously open, we might get to pick those rare people as well.

It's a tough task, but these rare non cricketer with a proper understanding, will definitely make the best coaches, because they were genius and as such rare even before they were picked. These are the Coaches with natural abilities to make a huge difference.

But we can't base a system on rarities, rather we make systems on availability.. So, I think targeting the ex int players is a better idea to fill the current vacuum in local coaching jobs, as an immediate solution to our problem.

I also wish that the system remains open for others... But with a fair degree of caution.

homegrown coaches are a must, can't hire foreign coaches at the lower levels, that's not realistic, and that's where the quality of coach really needs to start so there must be quality homegrown coaches.

I remember reading in a PA article about Shakib getting an award or ovation from ex players such as Mehrab Hossain Opi, Tareq Aziz and more. They were all at BCB and were doing some kind of coaching training. So I think there is some interest among the ex players to take up coaching. I think these are the type of players that can be turned into good local coaches as the OP mentioned.

Originally Posted by Ian Pont
Australia has 22 million people, South Africa 48 million, England 51 million yet produce world class and title winning players under the current systems. Bangladesh has a population of 161 million and does not.

That is not a criticism, it is a starting point to realising where the issues might be with local coaching.

The size of the population does not mean much. It's the % of the population that actually play the game or have access to the facility needed. All these countries you mentioned are financially well off with deeply rooted infra-structure. Bangladesh is nowheere close to them in terms of interested players with access to enough facility to turn them into success even domestically; needless to internationally.

You still need to start somewhere, you still need homegrown coaches at least as a backup. You can't always afford overpriced overseas coaches, it is unrealistic. Homegrown coaches can be a huge asset to the development of the Cricket culture, They have an upper hand at talent scouting, lol exactly the ideas Jeesh mentioned in his first paragraph as I typed this without reading it.

However as Observer and Ian Pont pointed out, we should not be overly reliant on them to the extent that we are lacking in Quality. Nevertheless, Homegrown coaches are a must, absolute must at least at the domestic scenes. Remember, it was Khaled Mahmud Sujon who coached and Advised Ziaur Rahman to open the batting and he found some success and found a spot at our T20 Squad. He still has a lot of work to do, but so far Ziaur Rahman has shown little success(considering where he came from and the amount of batting coaching he received it is not that all bad) I too dream of the day a local Coach like Aminul Islam Bulbul will take up the coaching job...communication, honesty, commitment problems should be resolved in an ideal world.

We need a combination of Foreign and Domestic coaches who can groom exciting talents into world class players. Quality coaching is key, coaching all the technical aspects of the game in addition to coaching in such a manner where the coach is able to clearly communicate with the players under him to such an extent that the player can feel confident and assert his dominance on the cricket field with ease based on the learned techniques.

Name: Mohammad SalahuddinSpecialization: Fielding, spinQualification: Level 3Current Role: Coach, University Kebangsaan of Malaysia.Past Roles: BKSP, Ex Fielding, Spin Bowling Coach of Bangladesh National Team (Worked Under Whatmore, Siddons, Shaun Williams), Coach at High PerformanceMajor Achievements: Was the mentor of some of Bangladesh's best spin talents including Shakib, Razzak, Shuvo. Even Mushfiqur Rahim was a student of this guy. These bowlers have enormous respect for Salahuddin, and credit him for a lot of their successes. Jamie Siddons also had said this guy is one of the best local coaches. Positives: Many years of experience in the national side, worked with world class coaches like Whatmore. Seems to be respected by the best Bangladeshi cricketers. Many were dissapointed when BCB didnt extend his tenure in NT. Although he had the title of fielding coach, he was also working with spinners and batsmenNegatives: Hasnt been the head coach of any major team. Possible Future Role You Would Like To See Them In, Why: Salahuddin is without a doubt one of the country's best coaches. Its unfortunate he is in Malaysia working with Malaysians, when he can spend the time developing our the next Shakibs, Mushfiqur Rahims. He was already working with Academy. Would he be interested in a role here again? Why not get him to work with the Under 19 team given his success at BKSP and ability to work with youngsters.

Originally Posted by betaar
The size of the population does not mean much. It's the % of the population that actually play the game or have access to the facility needed. All these countries you mentioned are financially well off with deeply rooted infra-structure. Bangladesh is nowheere close to them in terms of interested players with access to enough facility to turn them into success even domestically; needless to internationally.

That is entirely my point.. it is LOCAL coaches that can make the difference more in Bangladesh than anywhere, but they haven't.

How has Afghanistan done so well with a war-torn country? How does Ireland do so well, with cricket not their main sport (football, rugby and hurling the three main sports)?

It is not about being under developed as a country that matters, but how well you teach those that DO play.

I can tell you there are MILLIONS of people who play cricket in Bangladesh, and like Pakistan and India, they have difficulties.

__________________
No Cheating. No Corruption. No Excuses.
Players/Coaches have a duty to report and help clean up our wonderful game of cricket. We are the guardians of the game for the fans.

Just like our national cricketers have very little descipline, desire or motivation for self-improvement our local coaches are also prone to the same mediocrity. Take the last U19 World Cup, I'm utterly baffled as to how a looong time coach like Sarwar Imran could pick just ONE solitary pacer for a match in Australian conditions. I would say this indicate a lack of basic commonsense about cricket, in general.

We can all talk about "improvement" till the cows come home but nothing will budge until a drastic shift towards a better "Culture" has been nurtured first. Thats an awesomely difficult task in our current context. But, at least, problems can be identified and right steps can be devised and half-implemented ( realisticly, speaking).

Desire for self-improvement is missing at every level. Just take a look at Aftab Ahmeds "fitness" pic at the other thread, And, he was/is an INTERNATIONAL cricketer!

__________________
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In recent times, BCB has given the responsibility of our Under 19 team to local coaches- Nazmul Abedin Fahim, Minhajul Abedin, Zafrul Ehsan and recently Sarwar Imran. The performances have been very poor. Our Under 19 teams under RM and Alaistair De Winter looked completely different from those under local coaches. Under the two Aussies, our teams were professional, organized and disciplined. This led to good performances, and the talent that came from the system were excellent. Cant say the same about the teams with local coaches. This clearly shows the gulf.

If we are to have local coaches for under 19, why not have those who have had experience with world class coaches, or those who have had success in coaching roles. I would pick Salahuddin or Aminul Islam or Khaled Mahmud or Khaled Mashud over some of the guys BCB has tried. Sarwar Imran cant be blamed much because he barely had a month to prepare the team.

Any idea how Sylhet is doing so well compared to last year? I reckon a good head coach and captain is making a big difference. The team looks quite organized and much credit goes to Mohammad Salahuddin. A lot of our cricketers have said it in the past they credit Salahuddin for their growth-from Mushfiq to Shakib to Razzak. Yet we allowed to this guy to leave and work in Malaysia. At least let him coach the Under 19 team.

Here are the other coaches of the other teams. Note this time franchises havent given much importance to foreign coaches.

We need more qualified local coaches. National-team coaches should not have to work on the basic techniques. But, because many players come to the team with imperfect techniques, that's what they end up doing. There should be a system for identifying good prospective coaches (from ex-players). The best players don't always make the best coaches.

Funny things can happen in desperate situations. Before we appointed Siddons, Gordon Greenidge was in our shortlist for a possible second stint. And if i am not mistake BCB was negotiating with him as we wanted a batting oriented coach.

I do hope we get someone else as we need fresh ideas. But if i were BCB i wouldnt think twice about picking Siddons over someone like Greatbatch or Hooper.